Senior Maci Heffernan has been dancing since she was 3 years old. Now, she is one of the Senior Captains of the Silver Stars. But being a Silver Star isn’t all that easy.
“We have practice every day until 5 during football season,” Heffernan said. “We have to do football player posters and sister gifts on top of our homework. So it teaches you time management skills for the future.”
For Heffernan, becoming a Silver Star meant she had a community of girls who became family.
“I love being a Silver Star because it means that I get to meet all these wonderful girls throughout the year and I get to form lifelong bonds with them,” she said. “You’re with the team for a long time. We do a lot of extra things like our company sleepover, Summer Olympics and we go on trips together.”
Even though she is a Silver Star, Heffernan used to dance outside of school as well. This year, she is taking a break from it to relieve some pressure. Heffernan has started spending her extra time focusing on her lifelong love of agriculture.
“I took a step back because I wanted to focus more on [agriculture classes] since that’s what I’m going to be doing for the rest of my life,” Heffernan said. “I also wanted to focus on college and enjoy the year without being overwhelmed with stress.”
Heffernan transferred schools after her freshman year at Atascocita High School. In her sophomore year, she met Cyndi Vaughn, the head drill team instructor, who still inspires her to this day.
“Miss Vaughn has been the best,” Heffernan said. “She pushes me to my best ability and always makes sure that I’m bettering myself for later on.”
Vaughn has been the Silver Stars director for more than 15 years. She has overseen Heffernan throughout her time on the team.
“She came here her sophomore year and she kind of just jumped into the process of our team,” Vaughn said. “She was also very involved in FFA and she was able to just step in and handle both of those programs without a lot of questions. So it’s been really rewarding to watch her be able to work on time management and be able to stay involved in both activities and give 100 percent.”
By becoming a Senior Captain this year, Heffernan and Vaughn have developed an even tighter bond.
“I’m just really proud of her,” Vaughn said. “She’s always come to me. I’ve always known her as a really incredible dancer. So being able to watch her perform, it just makes me feel very, very good.”
After watching their daughter on the sidelines her whole life, Heffernan’s parents take great pride in her accomplishments.
“She is very independent, well rounded, and knows how to set goals and accomplish them,” said Amy Heffernan, Maci’s mom. “We are so proud of all the things Maci juggles on her plate and successfully completes. We will of course miss having her at home every day but we are so excited for her to embrace college life.”
Amy Heffernan said she admires her daughter’s passion and dedication to dance. Now, she watches her teach and mentor girls who were once the age she was when she started dancing.
“I see Maci helping others with skills and encouragement,” Amy Heffernan said. “But what I love the most is watching the young dancers look up to Maci just like she used to look up to the teenage girls in the dance world.”
